CleanSweep may have deleted Word file

Q. Each time I open Microsoft Word 97, a small window opens and says, "The Visual Basic environment could not be initialized. Please run setup to install correctly." After clicking "OK" three times, the program opens and runs without a problem. When I close the program, I get another message that says the same thing. Word was preloaded when I bought the computer two years ago, so I do not have an installation disk. I try to keep current with MS updates, but I haven't seen a reference to this.

A. There are several things that can cause this problem. CleanSweep has been known to delete the VBE.dll that Word uses for the Visual Basic Environment. Running the setup for Word/Office should fix the problem.

Repairing Internet Explorer

Q. When I organize my Favorites, I get this message: "Error 373: class not registered." What can I do to correct this?

A. This can happen if an incorrect version of the Jscript.dll file is in the Windows\System folder. Installing the latest version of Internet Explorer should solve this. If you are running the latest version, 5.5, then run Internet Explorer Repair. To use the Internet Explorer Repair tool:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel and double-click Add/Remove Programs.

Deleting the Network icon

Q. You once ran an article on how to delete the Network icon from the desktop. How do you do that?

A. The safest way to delete the Network icon is with TweakUI. TweakUI is included with Microsoft Windows 98 Power Toys and is located on the Windows 98 CD-ROM in the Tools\Reskit\Powertoy folder. You can get additional information about TweakUI from the Microsoft Web site:

Opening MSConfig

Q. My tech support helped me get to the MSConfig through DOS to determine if I had any bad clusters on my hard drive. However, it was done so fast I was unable to jot it down for future checkups.

A. Click Start, Run, type "msconfig" (without the quotes) and press Enter. This will get you to the MSConfig program. However, if you booted to DOS, I suspect it may have been the ScanDisk program you ran to check bad clusters.

Disabling Fast Shutdown

Q. I had problems shutting down last night and saw your recommendation in the July 17 Solutions column. I followed your instructions; however, after System Information, there was no system configuration Utility. Can you help?

A: Click on System Information once the System Information program initializes, then from the menu bar click Tools, System Configuration. You also can get there by clicking Start, Run, typing "msconfig" (without the quotes) and pressing Enter. Once there, clicking the "Advanced Options" button will display the "Disable Fast Shutdown" option referred to in the column.

Dancing display

Q. The screen on my 3-year-old PC vibrates terribly at times. How can I correct this, or is the computer just getting old?

A. Make sure there are no electrical appliances near your monitor. This includes computer speakers that may not be shielded properly. Three years is a typical warranty period for monitors, so your monitor may be starting to experience old age.